Fluoride glass compositions for waveguide applications

Compositions along with thermal and optical properties of fluoride glasses suitable for the preparation of fibers and planar waveguides are reviewed. In terms of application, emphasis is given on the characteristics of Tm3+ and Pr3- doped ZrF4-based fluoride glasses for optical amplification at 1.47 and 1.3 mum. Then, experimental results on the optimization of indium-based fluoride glasses are shown. Glasses are investigated in the (Ba, In, Zn, Gd) and (In, Zn, Sr, Ba) fluoride systems. Optical fibers are pulled from glasses of the (In, Zn, Sr, Ba) system stabilized with addition of gallium and calcium fluorides. (C) 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.